COMMERCE CITY — It may have made perfect sense for the Rapids to bench goalkeeper Zac MacMath when U.S. national team icon Tim Howard joined the team in midseason, but MacMath couldn’t help think it was still a little unfair. He didn’t lose his job for poor performance. Far from it, he was statistically the best goalkeeper in the league when Howard arrived.

But Howard is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in U.S. history, an English Premier League veteran at Manchester United and Everton. And MacMath knew while starting the first 16 games of the season — the Rapids went 9-2-5 — that he would be replaced after Howard’s contract with Everton expired in midsummer.

Now, with Howard out until next spring because of injury and the Western Conference finals looming this week, the Rapids are happy to have a replacement who already has proven his reliability. They also praise the way MacMath handled his demotion.

“He handled it a lot better than I would have,” Howard said.

MacMath said that was because he was raised to respect authority. There were practical reasons for being a good soldier, too.

“What I’ve learned, especially in these last five or six years of being a pro, is that it’s a small world,” MacMath said. “People hear about someone in the locker room that’s causing trouble. Players and coaches interact, they don’t want a player who is like an angry little kid causing trouble all time. I’ve never been that kind of person. I definitely expressed how disappointed I was, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me going forward.”

MacMath and Howard already had an interesting history together. Howard’s childhood coach later coached MacMath when he was a teenager. Then MacMath’s father contacted Howard’s agent to see if Howard could get MacMath a tryout with Everton. MacMath wound up making three trips to England, living with Howard and training with the Everton goalkeepers in an “informal tryout.” It was a great education.

“It was incredible, day in and day out, seeing how amazing these players were,” MacMath said. “It gave me my first idea of what a pro should act like, on and off the field. A lot of that has translated into how I have become a pro.”

Before this season started, Howard’s deal with the Rapids was widely rumored, and it wasn’t long before MacMath realized his days as Colorado’s starter were numbered. The deal was announced the third week of the season.

“It gave me a deadline: ‘This is what you have, this is the amount of games you’re going to play, do what you can,’ ” MacMath said.

“The way I looked at it, you’ve got six months to learn and develop under one of the best goalkeepers in the history of U.S. soccer,” MacMath said. “Take that opportunity and use it to your advantage.”

For now, everyone is focused on the two-game playoff series with Seattle that begins Tuesday, and if the Rapids win that series, the MLS Cup Final on Dec. 10. But MacMath has already played so well this season, it might be to his benefit for the Rapids to trade him in the off-season, and to their benefit to get some value for him rather than keep him as a backup.

“My goal each year is to be a starter, no matter where it is,” MacMath said. “I want to play week in, week out. At the end of the year we’ll speak with the Rapids and see what makes sense for both parties. If there is a team that really wants me enough, I think they’ll want to come get me.”

The Post's ski and Olympics writer, Meyer covered his 12th Games last summer in Rio de Janeiro. He has covered five World Alpine Ski Championships and more than 100 World Cup ski events. He is a member of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Colorado Running Hall of Fame. He regularly covers running and the Colorado Rapids.

This week on Holding The High Line, we've got CCL Fever and a Colorado Rapids depth chart preview to nerd out on. We begin by discussing MLS teams in CONCACAF Champions League and we begrudgingly discuss the Rapids new Black Diamond secondary kit.